By Gary Symons
TLL Editor-in-Chief
Sara Lee is adding a ‘Swicy’ taste note the bread aisle through a limited-edition collaboration with Mike’s Hot Honey.
Bimbo Bakeries USA, which makes Sara Lee bread, announced the Sara Lee Mike’s Hot Honey Half Loaf, which the company says is available for a limited time at grocery retailers nationwide beginning in October 2026. The company says each slice combines Mike’s signature sweetness with a subtle chili pepper heat.
The 12-ounce half loaf contains 12 slices and has a suggested retail price of $2.69. The company suggests using the bread for grilled cheese, breakfast sandwiches, and turkey sandwiches.
“We know our consumers are always looking for new ways to bring exciting flavors into the foods they already know and love, and this collaboration does exactly that,” said Jon Watts, vice president of brand marketing at Bimbo Bakeries USA. “By pairing the soft, delicious bread Sara Lee is known for with the unmistakable sweet heat of Mike’s Hot Honey, we’re giving consumers an unexpected new way to turn up the flavor on everything from breakfast sandwiches to lunchtime favorites.”
A similar product, the Nature’s Harvest Mike’s Hot Honey Half Loaf, will be sold exclusively in California for a limited time beginning in October 2026. It also contains 12 slices in a 12-ounce loaf and has a suggested retail price of $2.69.
The deal was brokered by two of the world’s top licensing agencies. Brandgenuity is the licensing agency for Mike’s Hot Honey and is managing the development and rollout of the licensing program. Brand Central, the exclusive agency representing Bimbo Bakeries USA, brokered the partnership on behalf of Sara Lee.
The launch comes as hot honey, a sweetened honey infused with chili peppers, has expanded from a pizza topping to a flavor found in everything from fried chicken, to cocktails, and even in ice cream. Mike’s Hot Honey is considered America’s original and leading brand of hot honey, and is thought by many to have been a primary inspiration behind the ‘Swicy’ flavor trend that recently swept through North America.
Bimbo Bakeries USA employs more than 20,000 people and operates more than 50 manufacturing locations in the U.S. Its brands include Artesano, Ball Park, Bimbo, Boboli, Entenmann’s, Little Bites, Marinela, Mrs Baird’s, Oroweat, Sara Lee, Stroehmann, and Thomas’. The company is owned by Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo, which says it is the world’s largest baking company, with operations in 39 countries.
Shoppers can find Sara Lee products at saraleebread.com/store-locator.
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